Causes Of Photooxidative Stress And Amelioration Of Defense Systems In Plants

In an attempt to improve communication between disciplines in this field, we have aimed to cover what we perceive to be all relevant aspects of photooxidative stress: from primary reactions to molecular genetics and the devising of strategies for engineering stress tolerance in plants. We hope to achieve a forum for new ideas, concepts, and approaches. The intellectual challenge also arose because we wished to produce a work that was accessible to both specialist and nonspecialist. We have encouraged our authors to provide personal perspectives of their topics while discussing them in depth. To this end, the nonspecialist will find that some chapters include relatively simple introductions and conclusions, e.g., Foyer and Harbinson (Chapter 1); Gressel and Galun (Chapter 10).

This text is split into four main sections: gene transfer techniques; transgenic approaches to gene isolation; manipulation of plant development, biochemistry and physiology; and predictability of transgene expression.

Photosynthesis is one of the most important biological phenomena on earth. The conversion of sunlight by photosynthetic organisms supplies most of the energy required to develop and sustain life on the planet. Photosynthesis is not only at the heart of plant bioenergetics, it is also fundamental to plant prod- tivity and biomass. Photosynthetic carbon fixation and oxygen evolution - rectly intervene in many environmental, including the global atmospheric CO 2 level and global climate. Therefore, it is not surprising that a large effort is devoted to photosynthesis research. Several biochemical methods of isolation, treatment, and analysis have been developed to fulfill the needs of photosynthesis research. Photosynthesis Research Protocols contains a broad range of general and fundamental me- ods that are commonly used by plant biochemists, physiologists, and mole- lar biologists. This book is thus intended as a source of information for scientists working on any of the multiple aspects of photosynthesis, and should be of great interest to a multidisciplinary field of research involving agric- ture, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, cell biology, environmental s- ences, forestry, plant genetics, plant molecular biology, photobiology, photophysics, photoprotection, plant physiology, plant stress, etc.

Plants depend on physiological mechanisms to combat adverse environmental conditions, such as pathogen attack, wounding, drought, cold, freezing, salt, UV, intense light, heavy metals and SO2. Many of these cause excess production of active oxygen species in plant cells. Plants have evolved complex defense systems against such oxidative stress. The

Understanding abiotic stress responses in plants is critical for the development of new varieties of crops, which are better adapted to harsh climate conditions. The new book by the well-known editor team Narendra Tuteja and Sarvajeet Gill provides a comprehensive overview on the molecular basis of plant responses to external stress like drought or heavy metals, to aid in the engineering of stress resistant crops. After a general introduction into the topic, the following sections deal with specific signaling pathways mediating plant stress response. The last part covers translational plant physiology, describing several examples of the development of more stress-resistant crop varieties.

Detailing interrelated topics, this work addresses issues and concerns related to plant and crop stress. This edition includes information on pH stress, temperature stress, water-deficit conditions, carotenoids and stress, light stress, pollution stress, agrichemical stress, oxidative damage to proteins, UV-B induced stress and abiotic stress tolerance.

The increasing con'. ;ern for the serious problems of forest decline that occurred in the Northern Hemisphere in the late 1970's and early 1980 's led to an emphasis on the necessity of promoting and setting up investigations into the basic physiological mechanisms of forest trees. Since then, the concern about rapid changes has decreased along with the increase of monitored data on European forests health status. But tree physiology has faced new questions about changing climate and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Advances in plant molecular biology and forest genetics have opened up new avenues in the research on forest tree physiology. At the same, time it has become evident that molecular and genetic tools give only a basis for further research on tree structure and function, which needs basic tree physiology again. On the other hand, the problems of forest decline in Europe are not over. They are no longer discussed daily in the media, but stress is an everyday phenomenon experienced by European forest trees. For instance, in southern Europe and mountainous regions, drought stress and many other abiotic or biotic factors are stressors and cause problems to forests with many important social and protective functions. Stress physiology is a branch of everyday physiology in traditional forestry. How to grow a forest with maximal carbon binding functions and optimal wood quality and rich in biodiversity.

Sixteen topics from the results of the research project "Molecular Mechanisms for Responses of the Photosynthetic Apparatus to the Environment," are documented in this excellent and timely work. Photosynthesis research has a long history in Japan, and many Japanese laboratories working in this field have been very active and productive. Based on the foundation established by these laboratories, the research reflected in this book focuses on elucidating the interactions between photosynthesis and the environment, with special emphasis on the molecular aspects of these interactions. The major purpose of the research was to identify specific genes required for (a) repair of the organisms from stress-induced damage to the photosynthetic machinery and (b) acclimation of photosynthetic processes to specific changes in environmental conditions. Once specific genes were identified, the effects of expression (and overexpression) of these genes in transgenic plants on acclimation processes were analyzed. Through the analysis of transgenic plants and cyanobacteria, the volume clarifies a number of molecular mechanisms by which plants acclimate to environmental variations, and the factors that govern recovery from stress-induced damage, especially with respect to the photosynthetic apparatus. A treatize on stress physiology and photosynthesis, the book also indicates the agricultural usefulness of transgenic plants and microalgae which are produced to study the molecular mechanisms of the tolerance of plants to changes in their environment.